Future of Cycling • Cargo Bikes • Cycling Myths • Beginners' Guide
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Cycling in Dublin FREE Summer 2012 TITLE SPONSORS: Future oF CyCling • Cargo BikeS • CyCling mythS • BeginnerS’ guide 2 | NEWS SUMMER 2012 CyCling in duBlin CyCling in duBlin SUMMER 2012 NEWS | 3 Guidlines only adopted after repairs Design guidelines costing nearly safer and more attractive to cyclists. er Dublin Area must, under law, now Most of the so-called Dublin “cy- “Little or no progress” €250,000 and aimed at making roads Mike McKillen, spokesman for have regard for the manual. cling network”, which includes cycle safer for cyclists were set aside on a Dublin Cycling Campaign, said: “If The NTA said with projects it is and bus lanes, is now substandard technicality for €22 million resurfac- the manual represents best practice, funding outside the Dublin area, it will compared to the designs in the man- ing works to 24km of roads in Dublin. whether it’s legally in force or not, they link the manual to funding, and has ual. Minimum standards were ignored Officials from the National Trans- should have adopted best practice.” “suggested” the Department of Trans- with the recent resurfacing undertaken port Authority (NTA) defended the “The city had €18 million to do the port does the same. late last year and into the new year. disregarding of their own guidelines, road resurfacing, that’s a huge amount Asked why following manual was Dublin City Council said the works with complex junctions, the National Cycle Manual, while cy- of money and not to get cycling right… not a funding requirement for the re- followed the “first principles” of the cling campaigners called it “an appall- it’s an appalling sign for the future” paving works when nearly €20 million manual. A spokesman said: “The first ing sign for the future.” A spokeswoman for the NTA said: of the funding came from the NTA, the principles of the document have been The manual was published at cycle- “In relation to the Dublin City re-sur- authority repeated that the manual had followed, by eliminating defects in the manual.ie early last year and was avail- facing project, the design, tendering not been formally adopted. road surface, there is improved safety able to road authorities before this, but and carrying out of this work predated The National Cycle Policy says “it for cyclists.” one-way streets - report the NTA said the resurfacing did not the formal adoption of the NTA Cycle is clear that the cycling infrastructure “The cycle network in Dublin has have to follow the manual because the Design Manual.” that has been constructed to date is evolved in line with the legislation that “work predated the formal adoption” She said the board of the NTA often of a poor standard and is poorly was in force at the time of construc- Dublin City has seen “a definite im- of the manual. agreed to formally adopt the manual maintained”, the design manual is sup- tion. The NTA Cycle Manual was not provement” for cycling in the last five The document, which has taken on December 9, under powers in the posed to address these problems and adopted until after completion of the years, an independent report says, but seven years to complete, sets out de- Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008. “reflect best international practice and resurfacing project. The project re-in- it warns that targets will not be met if nDublin.com tailed guidelines on making streets It means local authorities in the Great- the latest thinking.” stated the existing road markings.” the momentum is not stepped up. It I highlights how one-way streets and large junctions are not being tackled. The Bypad report written for Dub- dublin Bikes lin City Council was finalised earlier this year, but was not reported on until trips passes now. “The concise conclusion from the 2011 Bypad audit is that there has been 3.5m mark a definite improvement in the quality of the cycling policy in the last 5 years Dublin City Council’s highly popu- which included the appointment of lar bike rental system has clocked Ireland’s first Cycling Officer,” the re- up over 3.5 million rentals. port said. “However, cycling needs to The long-term hire subscrip- be taken far more seriously as a core tions have now reached over part of urban transport policy than it 45,600, while the council has sold currently is.” more than 31,200 three day tickets It called Dub- which are aimed mostly at tourists lin Bikes an “un- and other visitors to the city. doubted major Follow: @cyclingindublin Follow: Meanwhile, a spokesman for the success story” council said that for the first phase and welcomed of major expansion, including the the 30km/h Docklands and around the Hues- speed limit in Visit: Cycling ton Station are, they “anticipate the city centre, that construction will commence but said pro- before the end of 2012.” gress is “insuf- The plan, the council says, in- ficiently” quick cludes doubling the number of bike for the targets Slow movement on changing Dublin’s large one-way streets was criticised by the report Image: Google Street View. stations from 44 to about 100 and in the govern- trebling the number of bikes from ment’s national 550 to around 1,500. After that the cycle policy to city wants to get to 5,000 bikes. An be achieved. “ B o t h tions “are highlighted by cyclists as ficiently cycle-friendly”. Eoghan Mad- but it kind of went slow” because of ambitious strategy aims for the ser- The cycle of these the most intimidating locations on den, a senior engineer at Dublin City planning for Metro North and Luas, vice to expand from as far as DCU policy calls for elements the city’s road network” and the city’s Council, said the point on the lack of but said that “there should be a prior- on the northside to close to UCD cycling to account o f the road net- multi-lane one-way street systems “re- progress on one-way systems was “A ity attach to them” - solutions such as on the southside. for at least 10% of all trips taken na- work – the [large, complex] quire cyclists to take long detours and / fair comment.” contra-flow cycle lanes, which allow See more on page 14 tionally by 2020 – it is widely viewed junctions and the one-way or weave across several lanes of (some- Madden says: “One way streets are cyclists to go legally on otherwise one- by transport planners that for the na- streets - were highlighted in times fast-moving) motorized traffic.” not something we’re into doing any- way streets. tional target to be met that Dublin the 2007 BYPAD audit but It also said that while there is now more. They tend to work from a car The National Transport Author- would need to reach a level of 20-25%. there has been little or no over 200km of “cycling infrastructure” point of view because they generate ity said that the repaving, which was The report highlights that there has progress in addressing these in the city, “There is a still a percep- capacity and longer links for stacking focused on bus corridors, improved been “little or no progress in address- two major issues since then”, tion amongst users that… many of [traffic], but from a cyclist’s or pedes- conditions for cyclists but it was com- ing” the issue of large junctions and the 2012 report said. It said the routes used by cyclists are not of a trian’s point of view they are not great.” pleted after the report. “We have to do” quays one-way streets since the last report. the large and complex junc- sufficiently high quality / are not suf- He says that “it’s not off the agenda Also see page 16. route - senior engineer Cycle track law to be revoked Legislation to revoke the rule which expected to be enacted shortly.” mum passing distance of 1.5m when a A high quality cycle route on the quays which changes the quays is likely to be from a workshop last year hosted by westbound buses onto bus prior- forces cyclists to use a cycle track re- “Provision for the removal of the motorist is overtaking a cyclist – the is “something we have to do” a senior highly contentious with motorists. Dublin City Council and the Dutch ity measures on College Green, Dame gardless of its condition is in the pro- mandatory use of cycle lanes is being measure had been called for by cycling engineer with Dublin City Council “We have a study going this year, Embassy in Dublin, with help from Street and Christchurch before rejoin- cess of being finalised, the Department provided for in the legislation, except campaigners. has said. hopefully to come back with a number Dutch cycling groups Fietsberaad and ing the quays after Christchurch. of Transport said. for contra-flow cycle lanes and cycle The national cycle policy says: “We Under the title “Liffey Cycle Route” of options and possibly a primarily de- the Dutch Cycling Embassy. However, at this point it is unclear The national cycle policy includes lanes in pedestrian areas,” she said. will revoke the Statutory Instrument council has allocated €150,000 for “de- sign by the end of the year,” Madden Engineers at the event came up what the new study will recommend - a commitment to remove the current You might do it everyday, but cur- that requires cyclists to use cycle tracks sign and commencement of construc- said “There’s obvious issues – there’s with a number of concepts, includ- it may have no link to the concepts.